Chapter 95: Doomsday Journey! Jarilo-VI!

Just as the group was preparing to continue their discussion, a notification appeared in the chat.

[Doomsday Journey Companion]

Participants: FiveDuration: Three daysTravelers: Nanashi, March 7th, Bronya, Silver Wolf, EmiliaCompanion Mission: Defeat Cocolia.

At the same time, another mission appeared—one far grander in scale.

[Doomsday Journey: The End of Doomsday]

Duration: Until the destruction of Jarilo-VI.Participants: UnlimitedMission Objectives:Destroying the Star Core earns Doomsday Points.Reducing the impact of the cold wave also grants Doomsday Points.

Unlike standard Doomsday missions, this one was different.

So far, it had been confirmed that similar missions had appeared in Shinobu's world, Saeko's world, and Bronya's world. Each was ongoing, and all tied into a greater apocalyptic event.

World travel restrictions applied.

There were only two choices:

Confront the crisis alongside their current Doomsday companions.Consume points to travel between worlds and resolve the problem elsewhere.

Nanashi frowned. "I should be able to handle the zombie issue in Saeko's world with my current ability…"

That thought, however, would have to wait. The priority now was the companion Journey in front of him.

Nanashi: "Let's not overthink this. The important thing right now is our joint mission."

Emilia: "Crossing worlds! I'm ready!"

Silver Wolf: "Wait, if Bronya and I are from the same world, how do I cross over?"

March 7th: "Good question… I'll head to Bronya first. But where exactly is this Star Core Hunter?"

Nanashi: "Not sure. If you get a confirmation prompt, try clicking it. This is new for all of us."

Silver Wolf: "Like accepting a quest in a game? Awesome!"

Nanashi chuckled and shook his head. Silver Wolf was a true gamer at heart.

"World travel…"

After a moment of contemplation, Silver Wolf decided to confirm her transition. She needed to verify if the chat group was truly capable of interdimensional travel.

Without a wormhole or portal, she simply… vanished.

Instantly.

"Silver Wolf!"

Even Kafka, normally composed, was momentarily startled.

Right before her eyes, Silver Wolf had disappeared without a trace.

Kafka narrowed her eyes. "So this is the situation she's dealing with?"

For now, all she could do was wait.

Dan Heng frowned. "March, what exactly are we doing?"

March 7th had suddenly called everyone together, and now they stood in a group—Sampo, Natasha, and Seele among them. Even Svarog and Clara were present.

March 7th must have convinced Clara to come, with Svarog accompanying her for protection.

The gathered individuals shared the same confusion.

March 7th scratched her head awkwardly and turned to Bronya. "Uh… why don't you explain? I'm not great at summarizing things."

Bronya lowered her gaze slightly. "I… don't know how to say it. It involves my mother, after all."

"What's there to explain? We defeat Cocolia, take down the boss, and save the world!"

A crisp voice cut through the conversation—Silver Wolf.

She appeared almost simultaneously with Nanashi and Emilia.

A robotic voice suddenly rang out:

"Warning. Unidentified variable detected—Unknown. Target danger level: EXTREMELY HIGH."

A red light flared in Svarog's mechanical eyes.

He raised his arm, preparing to attack.

"No, Mr. Svarog!" Clara cried out in alarm.

Silver Wolf, however, remained completely unfazed. Instead, she eyed Svarog with intrigue. "Oh? An intelligent robot? Seems a bit outdated, though."

Nanashi's expression didn't change, but his gaze sharpened slightly.

"Are you sure you want to attack me?" he asked, his tone almost amused.

A heavy silence followed.

Svarog slowly lowered his arm.

"Recalculating… Attack effectiveness: Zero. Estimated consequences of engagement… Total planetary destruction."

Another pause.

Silver Wolf glanced at Nanashi, intrigued.

She didn't doubt Svarog's calculations—because she, too, sensed the immense danger emanating from this man.

Now this… she thought, …is interesting.

Sampo stood in the crowd, observing the newcomers.

But the moment he met Nanashi's piercing gaze, he immediately straightened up, pretending to be on his best behavior.

"This old man's heart can't handle this kind of stress…"

Nanashi, of course, knew that this man wasn't as simple as he seemed, but he didn't bother to pay him much attention. As long as he didn't interfere with their mission, that was all that mattered.

"You're not from the Underworld, judging by your clothes. Who are you?"

Seele narrowed her eyes, gripping her scythe tightly.

"We're friends of March and Bronya."

Nanashi gestured toward the two girls.

"Wait a minute… isn't that the guy from the space station?"

Stelle blinked in recognition. She had a distinct memory of Nanashi's golden eyes—something about them tugged at her mind, like a sensation of being held before.

"His name is Nanashi," Dan Heng reminded her.

Stelle scratched her head, embarrassed. "Oh…I forgot his name."

Bronya remained silent, her expression unreadable. Friends? She wasn't sure if she could call them that when they were standing against her mother.

March 7th, however, waved dismissively. "Relax, Seele! Nanashi, Silver Wolf, and Emilia are my friends. They're here to help save Jarilo-VI!"

"Save Jarilo-VI?"

Natasha, ever cautious as the leader of the Underworld's resistance, frowned. She needed more details.

"Can you explain everything?"

Nanashi glanced around and suggested, "Let's talk somewhere more private."

The group gathered at Natasha's clinic, where Nanashi concisely explained the situation regarding Jarilo-VI and the Star Core.

Rather than taking his words at face value, the locals decided to verify the information for themselves.

Nanashi had no doubts that they would get their answer soon—after all, Svarog was here.

As they waited, Nanashi chatted casually with Silver Wolf and Emilia.

"So, how does it feel?" Nanashi asked, leaning back. "Do you believe the chat group is real now?"

Silver Wolf smirked slightly. "I didn't expect you guys to actually travel through time and space. It's… unbelievable. So, you're all from different worlds?"

Emilia clenched her hands nervously. "Yes. I'm Emilia, the 42nd candidate for the throne of the Kingdom of Lugunica, and a half-elf."

Silver Wolf raised an eyebrow. "A kingdom? A half-elf? Never heard of either of those before."

Her gaze lingered on Emilia's silver hair and delicate features. She did look like an elf, at least based on stories from old fantasy games.

Nanashi simply shrugged. "I'm just an ordinary citizen from another world."

Silver Wolf's eyelid twitched.

"Ordinary? I think you have a serious misunderstanding of what 'ordinary' means. Just standing in front of you makes people uneasy."

Before Nanashi could reply, another voice chimed in.

"She's right. You're not ordinary at all."

A small, silver-gray cat leaped into view, its bright eyes locked onto Nanashi. The energy radiating from him made even it shudder slightly—an instinctive reaction, like a beast encountering something far greater than itself.

"Puck?!"

Emilia gasped, covering her mouth in surprise.

"You can travel across worlds too?"

Puck stretched lazily and settled onto Emilia's shoulder. "Well, we have a contract, after all."

Nanashi sighed in resignation. "I wouldn't survive in my world without some strength."

"Hah, your world must be terrifying," Silver Wolf scoffed.

Nanashi ignored her complaint, instead deciding to tease her.

"By the way, Silver Wolf, don't you think Bronya looks a lot like you?"

Emilia nodded enthusiastically. "I thought the same thing! Your faces are really similar!"

Silver Wolf rolled her eyes. "The universe is huge. Of course, there are people who look alike. That's nothing special."

Nanashi chuckled. "You're surprisingly calm about this."

"Tsk."

Silver Wolf had no idea what the true implications of their resemblance were—she was completely unaware of the existence of Honkai.

Nanashi decided to drop the topic.

A newcomer approached.

It was Stelle.

She hesitated for a moment before standing in front of Nanashi, her expression unusually serious.

"My name is Stelle. Thank you."

Nanashi blinked. "Thank me? For what?"

Stelle fidgeted, scratching the back of her head. "I don't really know… I just feel like I should thank you. Like… like I've been hugged by you before."

"…"

Ah.

Nanashi suddenly remembered.

Back at the Black Tower Space Station, he had picked her up.

That's not really worth a 'thank you,' he thought.

Before he could say anything, Stelle, her face flushed red, turned and ran off, clearly embarrassed.

Silver Wolf silently watched Stelle disappear into the distance.

"What's wrong with you?" Nanashi asked.

Silver Wolf sighed. "I just feel like she's… dull and kind of slow."

Nanashi stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"Yeah. Feels like an easy mark."

Silver Wolf narrowed her eyes. "You're not planning anything, are you?"

Emilia, looking concerned, asked nervously, "D-Does Mr. Nanashi… like that girl, Stelle?"

Nanashi frowned, then answered with complete seriousness:

"I think you're misunderstanding something. I like all pretty girls."

"Eh!" Emilia exclaimed, blinking in confusion.

"Are you saying that Lia is also within your target range?" Puck asked bluntly.

Nanashi nodded without hesitation. "Of course. Emilia is a beautiful girl too."

Puck sighed dramatically. "This is quite the dilemma. I can't exactly stop you grown-ups, but I hope you won't go too far with Lia." He grinned, his fluffy tail swishing playfully.

"I… um…"

Emilia, unused to such direct praise—especially for her silver-white hair, which was usually a source of scorn—felt her face heat up. Unable to withstand their teasing, she instinctively lowered her head, shrinking into herself like an ostrich burying itself in the sand.

Nanashi and Puck exchanged a knowing look. You get me!

Silver Wolf clicked her tongue. "Tsk, so you really do have your eyes on Stelle."

Nanashi raised an eyebrow. "What's this? My mother-in-law doesn't approve?"

Silver Wolf blinked. "Mother-in-law? Who are you talking about?"

"Who else? Stelle's mother—Kafka."

"…"

Silver Wolf fell silent.

Thinking about it… it did kind of make sense. Kafka could be considered Stelle's mother in a way.

Nanashi sighed dramatically. "Well, if my mother-in-law doesn't approve, I guess I'll just have to win her over too."

"!!!"

Silver Wolf's mouth fell open in disbelief. Then, after a long pause, she muttered a single word:

"Pervert."

After some discussion, exploration, and recollection, Bronya finally pieced together memories of her past in the Underworld.

Meanwhile, the others gathered crucial information about the Star Core from Svarog.

With everything falling into place, they made their decision—

It was time to confront the Supreme Guardian, Cocolia.

"Looks like it's time for good old Sampo to make his grand entrance again!"

Grinning, Sampo led the group through a special passage, providing them safe passage to the upper districts.

Nanashi, of course, had his own ways of getting up—he could either punch a hole through and fly up or manipulate the mechanisms controlling the sectors' pathways.

But since someone else was willing to do the work, he decided to take it easy.

With so many people moving together, it didn't take long before they were spotted by the Silvermane Guards.

The guards surrounded them, weapons drawn—

Then, in the blink of an eye, their expressions shifted.

One second, they were on high alert. The next, they turned and walked away, as if the group had simply vanished from their perception.

"What… just happened?"

The others were left confused, uncertain why the Silvermane Guards had suddenly ignored them.

March 7th, however, was quick to catch on. She glanced at Nanashi, giving him a subtle thumbs-up as she thought.

That saved us a lot of trouble.

Walking beside him, Silver Wolf narrowed her eyes, carefully observing the change in his gaze.

"Your ability… is it the same as Kafka's Suggestion?"

Nanashi didn't deny it. "It's more direct than mere suggestion."

He left it at that.

Silver Wolf fell silent. What a terrifying skill…

While Nanashi handled the guards, Stelle and the others had their own objective.

Their next stop—Serval, the Queen of Neverwinter Workshop.

After a brief explanation, Serval didn't hesitate. She firmly expressed her willingness to join them.

With their numbers growing, they prepared to head to the Administrative Office—

But just as they were about to leave, Nanashi stopped them.

"No need to go there. Cocolia isn't there."

Everyone turned to him.

"Huh? How do you know that?"

Seele, ever straightforward, asked directly.

Nanashi remained unfazed. "I have my own sources. She's at Everwinter Ridge."

From the fragmented thoughts within the minds of the Silvermane Guards he had dominated, he had learned that Cocolia had already entered the Rift—specifically, the Corridor of Fading Echoes.

If she was there, then there was only one explanation—

She was after the Star Core.

The Star Core was at Everwinter Ridge.

Nanashi frowned slightly. Had Cocolia really reached Everwinter Ridge already?

Or—

Had the Star Core sensed something… and acted first?